Page 18 of The Six-Week Single Dad
It was exactly the sort of picture I’d had in mind when Maddy first told me she was pregnant and I wished I’d taken more opportunity to be involved.
“Ugh, I feel sick now.” Bea slumped against the sofa, her legs stretched out before her. “I think I might go and take a nap.” She yawned and Alfie mirrored her. “Looks like I’m not the only one. Shall I put him down for a while?”
There was a part of me that wanted to carry on our playing. I was enjoying it just as much as Alfie was. But I knew he needed a routine and, as I glanced at the clock, I knew it was time for him to take a nap too.
“Sounds like a good idea. Tom will be here soon. I promised him Sunday night gaming and a curry.”
“I definitely feel sick now.” Bea struggled to her feet and bent down to pick Alfie up. He snuggled happily in her arms, his little hand reaching for hers.
My heart almost skipped a beat at the sight. I had to stop thinking like that.
“I’ll see you later.” She yawned again and headed off to Alfie’s room and then her own.
When Tom arrived a while later, he looked almost as worse for wear as his sister. He was armed with a six-pack of beer and thrust it into my hands as I answered the door to him. “You should have come out last night.”
“What for? To stop you and Bea drinking your body weight in whatever cheap booze was floating around?”
“Yeah, and you could have listened to her going on and on about you.”
I laughed off the idea. “Of course she was.”
“No, really, mate, she was. If she wasn’t telling someone about the trip or the job, it was how she was helping you out in your hour of need.”
“That’s all it is though, isn’t it? Helping me out.”
Tom cracked open one of the beers and sat down on the sofa, switching channels to one of the Spanish league matches. “I’m not so sure. She got pretty animated when she was talking about you.”
A frown creased my brow. Why would Bea be like that? I tried to quell the bubble of excitement that crept up on me…unless? Did she feel the same way about me as I did about her? That wasn’t possible, was it?
Chapter Ten
Bea
When Monday morning dawned, I was feeling a whole heap better and a lot more like myself. Which was just as well, considering Hayden was at work and Alfie was behaving like a total nightmare. I put it down to the fact that neither of his parents were around and he was stuck with a dumb, drunk woman who had tried to make a move on her brother’s best friend and was now full of remorse.
Hayden had been really kind the previous afternoon, by not mentioning it too much and making sure I didn’t do anything too stupid. I was embarrassed about trying to get him into bed, but honestly, I couldn’t remember saying or doing it. I had been totally out of it.
Damn Laura and her welcome-home parties.
I’d hidden out in my room when Tom had come round the previous evening. It would have been too embarrassing to see him, and God only knows what I’d said to him on Saturday night about my feelings for Hayden. Consequently, I hadn’t eaten much the previous day and now I was starving. I decided that getting out of the apartment would be a good idea.
There was a coffee shop nearby that did breakfast and a bacon-and-egg sandwich would do the trick.
What I hadn’t banked on was the fact that it took a whole lot longer to get organised and get out of the house when you had a one-year-old to deal with.
First of all, Alfie refused to wear the clothes I picked out for him. Well, when I say refused, I meant that he wriggled and wriggled with all his might and it took me an age to wrestle his tiny little body into the trousers and T-shirt.
Then, just as we were ready to go, he decided to bring his breakfast up all over himself, and me, so we both needed a change of clothes.
If it weren’t for the thought of grease and coffee, I would have given up and stayed in.
Eventually, well over an hour later, I stepped into the welcoming atmosphere of the Cottage Cafe. The first thing I spotted was a couple of women at the back, in one corner, both of whom had buggies similar to the one I was pushing Alfie in. They looked up when they heard the door open and smiled broadly at me. I went up to the counter and ordered some breakfast, and waited while the lad behind the counter made me a strong coffee.
“Hi, you’re new here, aren’t you? I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Why don’t you come and join us? I know how hard it can be when you’re new somewhere.” One of the women appeared beside me and peered into Alfie’s buggy. “Oh, that’s Alfie!” She eyed me with suspicion. “Who are you?”
“I’m Bea. I’m helping Hayden out while Maddy’s in Paris.”
Seemingly satisfied with my explanation, the woman reached for the handle of the buggy. “I’ll take Alfie over to the table while you get your order. I’m Catrina and that’s Iona.”
